Women’s Mental Health

In a mental health crisis or need urgent help?

• Emergency (risk to life): call 999 or go to A&E.
• Urgent NHS mental health support: call 111 and select the mental health option — available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all ages. Covwarkpt
• Coventry & Warwickshire Mental Wellbeing Line: call 0800 616171 — free, confidential emotional support and signposting, day or night.
• Crisis text service: text CWHOPE to 85258 to start a free, confidential conversation with a mental health professional, any time of day or night. Covwarkpt
• Samaritans: call 116 123 — free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Covwarkpt
• Warwickshire Safe Haven (Coventry & Warwickshire Mind): for adults aged 16+ who are feeling distressed or in crisis, call (024) 7601 7200, 6pm–11pm every day, or visit one of the venues. CWMind

Feeling low, anxious, or not yourself?

You don’t need to be in crisis to talk to us.

Whether it’s stress, low mood, anxiety, poor sleep, or a sense that things just aren’t right, a conversation with your GP is a good place to start. Some things affect women in particular — before a period, during pregnancy or after birth, or around the menopause — and we’re here for all of it.

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We understand it can be hard to ask for help

It doesn’t need a label. You don’t have to call it “mental health”. Just telling us you’ve not been feeling great lately is enough.

It’s confidential. What you share with your GP is confidential and treated the same as any other health concern.

You can ask to see a female GP. If you’d feel more comfortable talking to a woman, just let reception know when you book.

Earlier is better. You don’t have to wait until you’re struggling badly, or wait for your next routine appointment, to raise how you’re feeling.

Where to start

Book a routine appointment and mention you’d like to talk about how you’ve been feeling. You don’t need to prepare a speech.

Use the NHS App or our online form if talking feels like too much right now — you can write it down instead.

Support for women, at every stage

Some mental health concerns are closely linked to women’s health. Several of our GPs have a special interest in women’s health, including perinatal (pregnancy and postnatal) mental health and menopause care, so you’ll be in experienced hands.

Pregnancy and after birth. Feeling low, anxious, tearful or not yourself during pregnancy or after having a baby is common and treatable — and you don’t have to wait for your six-week check to raise it. Speak to us, your midwife or your health visitor at any point. Where more specialist help is needed, we can refer you to the Coventry and Warwickshire Perinatal Mental Health Service, which supports women during pregnancy and through the first year after birth.

Menopause and mental health. Low mood, anxiety, irritability, brain fog and poor sleep can all be part of perimenopause and menopause — it isn’t “just hormones” and you don’t have to put up with it. Our GPs include a women’s health and menopause specialist, and there’s a local Kenilworth Menopause Group offering peer support. Ask at reception or see the link on our website.

Before your period (PMS and PMDD). If your mood drops significantly in the days before your period, month after month, that’s worth talking to us about — it can be treated.

If something has happened to you. If you’re dealing with something you find hard to talk about, including domestic abuse or sexual violence, we’re here and it’s confidential. You can ask to see a female GP. The free, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247.

Not ready to talk to us yet?

That’s okay. These can be a good first step:

• NHS Talking Therapies — free NHS support for anxiety, depression and stress. You can refer yourself; you don’t need to see a GP first.
• Samaritans — call 116 123, free, any time, or use the live chat on their website
• Mind — information and support on a wide range of mental health topics.
• Free mental health support for young people in Coventry and Warwickshire — see the link on our homepage, or ask us.

Local support in Kenilworth

Friday Walks from Abbey Medical Centre

Join us outside Abbey Medical Centre every Friday at 12:20. There’s a shorter and a longer route depending on your ability and how you’re feeling on the day, so everyone’s welcome whatever your pace. Afterwards, we head to the Kenilworth Centre for refreshments and a chat